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Costumes

Here are 5 scary facts from Hubbub about Halloween costumes: 

  • An estimated 39 million people dress up for Halloween in the UK and 90% of families buy new costumes every year.
  • Most of these costumes (69%) are made up of polyester, a fabric made from oil-based plastic.
  • In the UK the average cost is £15.56 adding up to £510m a year spent on Halloween costumes. Only 14% are home-made! 
  • 2 in 5 of those costumes are only worn once before being thrown into landfill. 
  • But 73% are happy to wear a used costume from a friend or relative.

So what can you do to make Halloween more sustainable? Why not host a costume swap - either amongst friends, neighbours or at your school. To host a clothes swap, follow these steps:

  • Advertise the event
  • Let people know when and where to make donations
  • Separate the donations into size/age
  • On the day of the 'swap' let people know when and where they can come to take an item 

It's as easy as that. We have created some posters for you to download and print to advertise your event. Click on the poster you prefer to download a PDF and print. We have left blank spaces for you to fill in your own event details. 

Halloween poster option 1        

After the event, just bag up any costumes not taken, and either keep them aside for another time or donate them to charity or to a textile bank. All 10 Household Recycling Centres across Buckinghamshire have textile banks. 

Or why not try making your own? There are loads of great ideas for easy DIY Halloween costumes. Or find one of those cardboard boxes that we all have stashed away to make a spooky cardstume.